By Tom Williams

williams@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

When Boardman running back Nathan Jones broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run to slice Austintown Fitch’s 14-point lead in half, Falcons defensive end Billy Price said his teammates weren’t frustrated or panicked.

“It kind of woke us up — they can score,” the Ohio State recruit conceded of the Falcons’ archrivals.

But it didn’t happen for the Spartans on Friday night as the Falcons limited them to 47 yards on their final 19 plays as Fitch rolled to a 52-7 blowout at Falcon Stadium.

“We were manhandled down there last year,” said Fitch coach Phil Annarella, referring to last year’s 14-0 loss in Week 10. “We weren’t going to let that happen again.”

The Falcons (5-0) did it minus their top two running backs (Billy Aaron and Tyreese Anderson). Sophomore Darrin Hall carried the ball 18 times for 173 yards and scored touchdowns on runs covering 9, 43 and 8 yards.

“I hope no more get hurt,” said Annarella who added that Anderson’s broken ankle means he’s lost for the season. “But the number three didn’t play too bad.

“For a sophomore, he did a fabulous job. To get his first start in a big game like this is huge.”

The Falcons are ranked seventh in the state in this week’s Associated Press poll of Division I schools. They are the number two team in Region 1’s computer playoff ratings. Boardman has the 10th spot.

The Spartans (3-2) were in trouble almost immediately after Gary Gibson blocked Aaron Davis’ first punt. Hall capped the five-play, 39-yard drive with a 9-yard score.

Late in the first quarter, Hall broke free for a 43-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead.

“My goal was to not let my offensive line down,” said Hall, referring to Chuck Zaborsky, Andrew Lamancusa, Matt Mullins, Mike Koch and Tyler Bell.

Quarterback Matt Futkos was equally impressive for the Falcons, completing nine of 12 passes for 184 yards.

“This feels great, it sets [the tone] for the season,” Futkos said. “And it will just keep us rolling. The line definitely did a great job.”

Two plays after Jones gave the Spartans life, Futkos crushed it when he hit wideout Kerrell Johnson with a quick toss along the sideline. The speedy Falcon raced for a 73-yard, backbreaking score. The Falcons added 10 more points before halftime for a 31-7 edge.

In the third quarter, Futkos found Keith Lawrence for a 15-yard touchdown.

“Matt is just a tremendous game manager,” Annarella said. “He’s a tremendous quarterback.”

Sophomore Tyler Hewlett relieved Hall and ran 10 times for 50 yards, including a 10-yard score.

“Most importantly, they stepped up even though they are sophomores,” said Futkos of Hall and Hewlett.

The Spartans rushed 43 times for 162 yards. Jones had 87 yards on eight carries.

Quarterback John Babos completed four of 10 passes for 26 yards.

The Spartans will finish the season with five Federal League opponents, beginning with Massillon Perry. The Falcons’ homestretch includes games against East, Massillon and Cardinal Mooney.

Price called the win “huge.”

“It was our goal to limit their big play and I’ve got to give credit to defensive coordinator Wally Hurdley and our coaches,” he said. ““They run a great offense. We just kind of buckled down. We knew they were running backside and we knew we had to step it up, to make sure we kept up our reputation.”